The Energy Department's Savannah River Site declared an emergency after a fire
A fire at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina prompted officials to declare an emergency at the Savannah River Site near Aiken at about 5:39 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Officials said the blaze was extinguished by 7:30 p.m.; radiological surveys found no detectable contamination. The emergency ended that night, and the site returned to normal operations.
More context
Officials declared an emergency Wednesday, Oct. 28, after a blaze broke out at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, near Aiken, declared the emergency at about 5:39 p.m. local time after the fire was reported. Officials said the blaze had been extinguished by 7:30 p.m. The site said radiological surveys indicated no detectable levels of contamination, and no contamination was reported outside the affected facility.
As a precaution, site entrances were temporarily closed to incoming traffic, while rail, river and air traffic in the vicinity was restricted. NBC News, citing the site’s community preparedness information, reported that the declaration was the second-highest of three emergency categories. The emergency ended Wednesday night, and the site returned to normal operations.
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Reporting
- Türkiye Today — Emergency declared at US nuclear site after laboratory fire in South Carolina - Türkiye Today
- United News of Bangladesh — Fire briefly triggers emergency at US nuclear research lab in South Carolina
- Fox News — Fire at US nuclear site triggers emergency response | Fox News
- NBC News — Fire briefly triggers emergency at South Carolina lab on former nuclear weapons site
- USA Today — Savannah River National Laboratory fire prompts emergency response
- The Independent — Panic at federal nuclear site as raging blaze shuts down air, rail and ground travel | The Independent
- kccrradio.com — Emergency Response Concludes Following Fire at Savannah River Site
Verifier’s note
Türkiye Today, UNB, Fox News, NBC News, USA Today, KCCR Radio, and The Independent report the South Carolina laboratory fire and the resulting emergency response; NBC News and The Independent explicitly say the declaration ended or operations returned to normal. The Independent’s account repeats NBC News, while the reports agree with the proposed event and its timing.